The present invention relates to a disk cartridge adapted to receive a disk-like medium such as a photo disk, a photo-electro-magnetic disk or the like in a casing in a rotatable manner and adapted to take out the received disk-like medium from the casing for exchanging.
It has been known that an information medium such as a disk-like medium, e.g., a magnetic disk, a photo disk or a photo-electromagnetic disk is used in a form of a disk cartridge comprising upper and lower casings in which the information medium is received, and the disk cartridge is provided with a shutter which opens and shuts opening portions such as a head insertion hole and a driving shaft insertion hole formed in the casings. Such disk cartridge is not provided with a taking-out mechanism for exchanging a disk-like medium received in the casings. However, a cartridge called a CD caddy used for CD-ROM is provided with a CD taking-out mechanism. The CD caddy is used for a reproducing device such as a CD-ROM reproducing device. In a case of a disk-like medium used for both cases that the disk-like medium itself is used in a recording/reproducing device and that it is used in a form being received in a disk cartridge, the disk-like medium is sometimes required to be taken out according to requirement.
However, in a conventional disk cartridge having a disk-like medium taking-out mechanism, a shutter mechanism could not be located at a side where there is a cover member capable of turning to take out the disk-like medium. Accordingly, such shutter mechanism could not be used for a disk cartridge of a style that opening portions such as a head insertion hole and a driving shaft insertion hole are formed in the upper and lower casings (JP-A-63-266669).
Further, there have been proposed mechanisms for taking out the disk-like medium by opening only a side face which is opposite the shutter. In such mechanisms, however, there was a restriction that the cover member was of a detachable type or a turning type for opening. In the detachable type, the cover member was separated from the case main body to cause a problem of loss, and the detachable type is inconvenient in handling. On the other hand, in the turning type, there were problems that it was apt to be broken by a shock because the cover member was engaged with the casing main body by means of a pivot pin, and a state of completely shutting might not be obtained because the cover member was inclined when it is to be shut (JP-B-7-19464). These conventional types of disk cartridge had such a structure that when a disk-like medium was to be exchanged, the disk-like medium taking-out port was directed downward so that the disk-like medium dropped by its own weight. Accordingly, the disk-like medium might drop to the ground erroneously.
In some cases, a disk-cartridge is provided with an erroneous insertion preventing mechanism at an outer face of the casing assembly. However, the conventional disk cartridge having a disk-like medium taking-out mechanism was not provided with a mechanism which prevents the mounting of the disk cartridge on a recording/reproducing device in a state that a cover member for a disk-like taking-out mechanism is opened. Accordingly, when the disk cartridge is mounted on the recording/reproducing device in a state that the cover member is opened, the cover member may be broken; the disk-like medium may come off, or the disk may suffer a damage.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a disk cartridge which provides easy exchange of a disk-like medium and prevents the dropping of the disk-like medium while the cover member can easily be molded and a sufficient strength of the casings is assured.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a disk cartridge which provides easy take-out or insertion of a disk-like medium by folding the cover member after the cover member has been drawn from the casing.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a safe and reliable disk cartridge in which a state that the cover member is shut can be detected, whereby there is no danger that the cartridge is used in a state that the cover member is opened.
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a disk cartridge which comprises a casing comprising an upper casing and a lower casing to receive therein a disk-like medium in a rotatable manner, a shutter for opening and closing an opening portion for a driving shaft insertion hole and a head insertion hole formed in the casing, an elastic member for urging the shutter in a direction of closing the opening portion, a disk-like medium taking-out port formed in the casing and a cover member for opening and closing the disk-like medium taking-out port, wherein the cover member is disposed between the upper and lower casings in a manner of freely sliding so that the cover member is drawn from the disk-like medium taking-out port to take out or place the disk-like medium, the cover member has a circular arc wall so as to be along an outer periphery of the disk-like medium, and a tongue-like projection is formed at a lower edge of the circular arc wall to provide a disk supporting portion to support the disk-like medium from its lower portion.
In the first aspect of the present invention, a pair of tongue-like projections are disposed with a space therebetween symmetrically with respect to a centerline of the cover member in a direction of sliding movement. Further, a recessed face portion for receiving each of the tongue-like projections of the cover member is formed in an inner face, which opposes the disk-like medium, of the lower casing. Further, the casing has a label area in an outer surface at a side of receiving the cover member at a level slightly lower than that of the outer surface, and the wall thickness of the tongue-like projections is thinner than the wall thickness of the recessed face portions for receiving the tongue-like projections of the cover member.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a disk cartridge which comprises a casing comprising an upper casing and a lower casing to receive therein a disk-like medium in a rotatable manner, a shutter for opening and closing an opening portion for a driving shaft insertion hole and a head insertion hole formed in the casing, an elastic member for urging the shutter in a direction of closing the opening portion, a disk-like medium taking-out port formed in the casing and a cover member for opening and closing the disk-like medium taking-out port, wherein the cover member is provided, at its both sides, with arms each having a pivot shaft and slide members each provided with a disk placing portion and a bearing hole wherein the slide members are connected to the arms by inserting the pivot shafts into the bearing holes so that the slide members are folded with respect to the arms, and a partition wall is formed in each of the slide members so as to oppose an inner side face of the bearing hole, whereby the cover member is capable of sliding between the upper and lower casings by means of the slide members, and the cover member can be drawn from the disk-like medium taking-out port and folded to take out the disk-like medium.
In the second aspect of the present invention, the cover member is drawn in a manner of freely sliding from the disk cartridge in a direction opposite to the shutter, and a distance of drawing the cover member is determined to be within a range of at least the radius of the disk-like medium. Further, the cover member, after it has been drawn from the disk-like medium taking-out port, can be folded so that a disk-like medium can easily be inserted into or removed from the cover member.
Further, in the second aspect of the present invention, the partition wall is provided with a circular arc wall corresponding to an outer periphery of the disk-like medium to restrict a play quantity of the disk-like medium in its radial direction, and the curvature of the circular arc wall coincides with the position of the revolution center of the disk-like medium. Further, each of the slide members is provided with an engaging portion for moving the disk-like medium accommodated in the casing toward a side of the opening portion when the cover member is moved. In addition, a projection is formed on the pivot shaft of the cover member and a notch is formed in the bearing hole of the slide member to receive the projection, whereby the slide member can be assembled in a state that the cover member is raised to an angle of about 90xc2x0.
In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a disk cartridge which comprises a casing comprising an upper casing and a lower casing to receive therein a disk-like medium in a rotatable manner, a shutter for opening and closing an opening portion for a driving shaft insertion hole and a head insertion hole formed in the casing, an elastic member for urging the shutter in a direction of closing the opening portion, a disk-like medium taking-out port formed in the casing, a cover member for opening and closing the disk-like medium taking-out port and an erroneous insertion preventing groove, into which an erroneous insertion preventing detection member is inserted, which is formed in a side wall of the casing at a side of the shutter which opposes the disk-like medium taking-out port, wherein side wall portions are formed in the cover member so as to be capable of sliding in guide grooves formed in inner faces of left and right side walls of the casing, a part of an outer side wall of each of the guide grooves is cut to communicate the erroneous insertion preventing groove, and a side wall of the cover member provides a bottom wall for the erroneous insertion preventing groove when the cover member is in a closing state.
In the third aspect, the cover member is provided at both sides with slide members which are rotatably connected to the cover member by means of connecting means comprising a pivot shaft and a bearing hole, and an outer side face of the slide members faces the erroneous insertion preventing groove. Further, a captive portion is provided in the cover member so that the both side wall portions of the cover member restrict a range of the movement of the cover member.